In Re FA Potts and Co., Inc.

23 B.R. 575, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 3210
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 30, 1982
Docket19-11112
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 23 B.R. 575 (In Re FA Potts and Co., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re FA Potts and Co., Inc., 23 B.R. 575, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 3210 (Pa. 1982).

Opinion

OPINION

THOMAS M. TWARDOWSKI, Bankruptcy Judge.

The issue before the Court involves the proper allocation of the sale proceeds pursuant to a sale to Anthracorp, Inc., (hereinafter “Anthracorp”) of certain interests by F. A. Potts and Company, Inc., (hereinafter “Potts”) and by G.M.P. Land Company, Inc. (hereinafter “GMP”). Potts and GMP are the debtors in this recently substantively consolidated Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization case. For the reasons hereinafter given, we conclude that the proper allocation of the sale proceeds is that which is set forth in the Purchase Agreement, which was executed by Anthracorp, Potts and GMP on January 8, 1982. 1

Before examining the procedural history of this case, it is necessary to set forth the salient facts involved in this matter.

Potts is the parent corporation of GMP, its wholly-owned subsidiary. Potts is basically a broker in coal. Potts buys coal chiefly from various groups of independent individual investors who mine the coal on GMP’s land pursuant to leases with GMP. Potts then markets the coal.

GMP is basically a land-holding company. GMP owns approximately 16,000 acres of coal-bearing land in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. GMP leases portions of its land to the above-mentioned investors, who pay a royalty to GMP for the coal that they mine on GMP’s land.

Potts and GMP have always been closely interrelated. Karl Goos is the president of both companies and makes the major decisions for both of them.

On February 1,1980, Potts entered into a Partnership Joint Venture Agreement with Anthracorp to form an entity known as International Anthracite Associates (hereinafter “IAA”). Both Potts and Anthracorp thereby acquired a one-half interest in IAA. The primary purpose of IAA was to mine and market coal from land leased to it by GMP.

Also on February 1, 1980, IAA entered into a Mining Lease with GMP, pursuant to which IAA obtained the exclusive right to mine the coal from an approximately 550 acre parcel of GMP’s land and from an approximately 746 acre parcel of GMP’s land. These two parcels are non-contiguous. The 550 acre parcel is known as the B & M Tunnel tract, and the 746 acre parcel is known as the Brookside Slope parcel. This Mining Lease was for an initial term of 20 years and IAA was granted free options to continually extend the Mining Lease thereafter until all of the coal reserves were exhausted. In return for its rights under the Mining Lease, IAA agreed to pay royalties to GMP for all of the coal that IAA mined on the leased property.

On January 8, 1982, subsequent to the commencement of this bankruptcy case, the aforementioned Purchase Agreement was executed by Anthracorp, Potts and GMP. The Purchase Agreement provided for the sale by GMP to Anthracorp of all of GMP’s coal and easement rights, free and clear of all liens and encumbrances, in the aforementioned approximately 550 acre B & M Tunnel tract. 2

The Purchase Agreement also provided for the sale by Potts to Anthracorp of Potts’ one-half interest in IAA.

Therefore, by the terms of the Purchase Agreement, Anthracorp acquired full ownership and control of IAA as well as the *577 right to mine and remove all of the coal in the B & M Tunnel tract free of any royalty obligation to GMP. Anthracorp did not purchase the surface of the B & M Tunnel tract, however.

According to the terms of the Purchase Agreement, it was a condition precedent to Anthraeorp’s obligation to consummate the purchase that there be executed an Amended and Restated Mining Lease under which Anthracorp would have the right (formerly held by IAA) to continue to mine on the aforementioned Brookside Slope parcel.

The Purchase Agreement further provided for a purchase price of $7,500,000.00 to be paid by Anthracorp, comprised of $5,600,000.00 in cash and the cancellation of the $1,900,000.00 outstanding amount of a note from GMP to IAA on which judgment had been entered. The cash portion of the purchase price was apportioned $25,000.00 to Potts and $5,575,000.00 to GMP.

The procedural background of this case is also relevant in examining the question before us. Initially, on September 11, 1981, the debtors filed separate voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. On October 2, 1981, the Court ordered the debtors’ cases consolidated for the purpose of joint administration only. On September 23, 1982, the Court ordered substantive consolidation of the debtors’ cases.

The debtors sought the Court’s approval of the aforementioned Purchase Agreement in two separate proceedings. First, they jointly filed a document captioned: “Application of Debtors-In-Possession For Authority To Sell Coal Rights, Grant Easements, And Sell Certain Partnership Interests, To Anthracorp, Inc., At Private Sale, And For Approval Of Amended And Restated Mining Lease” (hereinafter “Application”). Secondly, GMP commenced an adversary proceeding against the entities holding liens on the real estate proposed to be sold by GMP to Anthracorp by filing a document captioned: “Complaint of G.M.P. Land Company, Inc. To Sell Real Property At Private Sale Free And Clear of Liens And Encumbrances” (hereinafter “Complaint”).

Both the Application and the Complaint were opposed by various creditors. The Court, on February 26, 1982 and March 1, 1982, held a hearing on the Application which also constituted a trial on the Complaint. Following extensive testimony regarding the merits of the Purchase Agreement, at the conclusion of the hearing on March 1, 1982, the Court, pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 363, approved the Purchase Agreement. A written Order confirming the Court’s oral decision was entered on March 15, 1982.

During the hearing, on March 1,1982, the debtors orally amended both their Application and Complaint with respect to the proposed distribution of GMP’s share of the cash proceeds from the sale. The debtors proposed to substitute a straight lien-priority method of distribution for their original method of distribution. Therefore, as part of our Order of March 15, 1982, we directed that a new notice be sent to all creditors and parties in interest advising them of the change in the proposed method of distribution and affording them an opportunity to be heard on this matter.

In response to this new notice, the Official Unsecured Creditors’ Committee of Potts (hereinafter “Creditors’ Committee”), which had objected to the Purchase Agreement before and at the hearing thereon, filed on March 30, 1982 an Objection and Request for Hearing, in which it stated that it “objects to the proposed distribution with respect to that portion of the distribution to be paid to F. A. Potts and Co., Inc. in payment of its partnership interest in International Anthracite Associates...”

The Court, over the objections of the debtors, and those of European-American Banking Corporation (hereinafter “EAB”), a secured creditor of GMP, Citibank, N.A. (hereinafter “Citibank”), a secured creditor of GMP, and Ransomes and Rapier, P.L.C.

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Bluebook (online)
23 B.R. 575, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 3210, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-fa-potts-and-co-inc-paeb-1982.